Psalm Reflection: The Fourth Sunday of Advent - Cycle C

“Lord, make us turn to you; let us see your face and we shall be saved.” - Psalm 80

It may not sound like it to our modern ears, but this Psalm would probably have been very controversial and intimidating to the Jewish people at the time it was written. Looking at God face to face was not something aligned with being saved. Rather, it was an act that many believed would result in death. When Moses expresses a similar desire to see God, he was denied:

Then Moses said, “Please let me see your glory!” The LORD answered: I will make all my goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim my name, “LORD,” before you; I who show favor to whom I will, I who grant mercy to whom I will. But you cannot see my face, for no one can see me and live. - Exodus 33:18-20

In fact, when Moses was in the presence of God on Mount Sinai, his face became so radiant that he would wear a veil to prevent the people from being afraid: 

As Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the covenant in his hands, he did not know that the skin of his face had become radiant while he spoke with the LORD. When Aaron, then, and the other Israelites saw Moses and noticed how radiant the skin of his face had become, they were afraid to come near him… When Moses finished speaking with them, he put a veil over his face. - Exodus 34:29-30, 33

The power and glory of God was so magnificent and unapproachable to the Jews, that they feared coming too close and risk being found unworthy to behold God and be struck down. There was a sense of separation, and that God could only be approached through a mediator: Moses, then the Levites and priests and the temple. Moses wore a veil to shield others from the power and presence of God. The temple itself also had a curtain or veil that separated the inner sanctuary, called the Holy of Holies—where the Ark of the Covenant and the presence of God Himself resided—from the rest of the temple. According to ancient Jewish sources, the temple veil was 40 cubits (~60 feet) high by 20 cubits wide (~30 feet) and several inches thick. Only the high priest could go beyond the veil into the Holy of Holies, and could only do so once a year on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) to offer the annual sacrifice for the atonement of the sins of the people (see Leviticus 16 for a detailed description of this feast). 

Why does all of this historical detail matter?

Because in Christ there is no longer any veil, any separation, any fear to approach God who loves us and desires to be united to us. Jesus, the New Passover lamb, offered Himself as the once-and-for-all sacrifice in fulfillment of the new Passover meal (the Mass) on the cross, and all separation is removed:

But Jesus cried out again in a loud voice, and gave up his spirit. And behold, the veil of the sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth quaked, rocks were split, tombs were opened, and the bodies of many saints who had fallen asleep were raised. And coming forth from their tombs after his resurrection, they entered the holy city and appeared to many. The centurion and the men with him who were keeping watch over Jesus feared greatly when they saw the earthquake and all that was happening, and they said, “Truly, this was the Son of God!” - Matthew 27:50-54

Jesus offered himself on the cross to reconcile us with God (CCC 457) so that we would no longer be separated from Him by our sin, but so the kingdom of Heaven would be opened for us to spend eternity with Him. This lack of separation makes God known, visible and present to those who witnessed it happen, like the centurion and the men proclaiming Jesus as the Son of God. Saint Paul encapsulated the implications of this beautifully when he wrote to the Corinthians:

To this day, in fact, whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their hearts, but whenever a person turns to the Lord the veil is removed. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. All of us, gazing with unveiled face on the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, as from the Lord who is the Spirit. - 2 Corinthians 3:15-18

There is no longer any separation between us and God. There should no longer be any fear or worry of destruction at the thought of seeing God face to face. Rather, the veil is torn and we are able to be transformed into the image of God through the Holy Spirit. That is why we sing joyfully the words of this Psalm this week, to be reminded that the cross was the instrument of our salvation, which allows us to see God face to face in the person of Jesus and be transformed into a new creation through His Holy Spirit.

This week, consider the veils that separate you from God. What sins, temptations, lies, habits, vices, or false beliefs prevent you from seeing God as He is and being transformed by His love for you? This week, bring those things to prayer at the foot of a crucifix. Imagine those obstacles written on the veil of the temple, and see the veil tear and fall to the ground by the power of the cross, setting you free to be reconciled to God and live in His loving presence all the days of your life and beyond.

I am praying for you, please pray for me, and I will see you in the Eucharist.

Matt